Nightshade
by RileyDelta
Summary: Summary: What happens when the group comes across a woman who is more than meets the eye? On top of that, what is she to do when she finds herself falling for two men at the same time? Can she protect those who have placed their lives in her hands, while trying to figure out where her heart lies, or will she slip up and watch it all burn? Shane/OC, Daryl/OC. Set after CDC explosion


**I couldn't wait anymore and finally decided to make a Walking Dead story! It was either this one, or my Bane story and figured I'd go with this one. I'm totally in love with the show and just recently had a chance to watch them all. Doesn't hurt any that Norman Reedus is in it. DELICIOUSNESS! 8D Zombie apocalypse with him around? I probably wouldn't mind too much. Now, that being said: I have no clue who my character is going to end up with, it's still up in the air. You notice I tagged Shane and Daryl and it's going to be one of them. Just gotta figure out who.**

**Reviews are ALWAYS welcome! Even if they are bad. I like to know how I'm doing and the thoughts you guys have about it so far.**

**I don't own The Walking Dead, or the characters. I do own the story plot (what's not part of the show) and any original characters you see stalking people. It's rated M for future sexual situations, violence, language, crazy flesh eating zombies, and all around dirty and mean stuff.**

**Summary: What happens when the group comes across a woman who is more than meets the eye? On top of that, what is she to do when she finds herself falling for two men at the same time? Can she protect those who have placed their lives in her hands, while trying to figure out where her heart lies, or will she slip up and watch it all burn?**

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It was getting dark and the throbbing in her leg seemed to intensify with each step Juniper Lancaster took. But she had to get back to the compound, seeing how it wasn't safe anymore to be out in the woods or even outside of a secure location. The sun was slowly setting behind the tall span of trees and the quicker the injured woman could get back to where she, and a handful of others laid their heads at night, the better. Walkers could appear at any moment, and in those times when their sometimes eerie silence was able to slip past ones senses, it only proved to her that this was stupid to do. In reality, it was only stupid because she managed to get herself hurt, and any other time the hunting trip would have been a success. This time however, Jay managed to fall out of the tree she had perched herself in, in hopes of scoring some good game. The injury wasn't life threatening, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt. Times had changed in the new world; the one infested with dead loved ones who were out to literally eat you, and to go unhurt was uncommon. But this? Well, this was just her own stupidity.

The brunette woman stopped and pressed her back against a tree, wincing slightly at the shooting pain in her leg. At the rate she was going, it would take her half the night to get back and that wasn't something that sat well with Juniper. Normally people didn't go out by themselves, but she felt confident enough in her abilities to do so and be alright. There hadn't been any signs of Walkers around, but that also didn't mean that they weren't there, patiently waiting. Taking a glance at her leg, the sight of skin and blood could be seen in a slit that was in her black jeans, making her curse under her breath. Just her luck. If the backpack that was pressed firmly against her backside didn't hold important items, she would have ditched it miles ago, in hopes the sudden light weight would help aid her. Worst case scenario would be for her to find some place to rest for the night, high up away from anything that was undead crawling around on the leaf covered ground. But there was no way she could climb another tree, not in her current condition.

Pushing herself off the trunk, she started back on her journey, doing her best to keep her noise to a minimum. The throwing knife holder that was attached to her outer thigh was tight, hoping it would stop any more blood from seeping out. Toffee colored eyes scanning around the dimly lit area as she moved, keeping a look out for anything that suddenly moved. It wasn't just Walkers she had to look out for. What she liked to call scavengers, modern day pirates who didn't care about your story, where you were going or even who you were, lurked. All they cared about was what you had on your person that they could possibly use. Juniper always tried to pack light; the bow she used to hunt game, quivers, her throwing knifes, a small amount of food and water. Scavenging her would be a smart idea, but she wouldn't give it up without a fight. Items such as those were precious, and the bow her father had gotten her for her thirteenth birthday meant more to her then a tool of survival. It was one of the only things she had left of the slightly crazed man, and though the two had their issues, it was still priceless to her eyes.

A sudden sound close by drew her eyes in the direction it came from; her entire body pausing and practically staring, just waiting. The bow that was slung around her shoulder slid down her arm as her other hand raised to collect a quiver, delicately placing it over the string to press against. If it was a Walker, June hoped it was just one and not a herd. In her condition, more would be harder to deal with, but she would still give it all she had. The throbbing in her leg seemed to be forgotten as she stepped closer to the sound; feet lifting slowly and carefully over branches and large piles of leaves so she didn't make a sound. From what she and the others observed, Walkers tended to go off of sounds and smells. The fresh blood that leaked from her leg wouldn't help any, but at least her soft steps might. No one had seen a normal human in the woods for awhile, which lead her to believe that it was in fact a creature that had every intention of ripping the organs from her body to chow down.

Juniper hunched over slightly and continued on her path, moving carefully through a large brush of bushes to try and conceal her body from sight. Though in the situation, it was hard to tell who had the upper hand at the moment; her or the Walker. Hiding only helped her chances of making it out alive and her breathing became shallow; reducing herself to as little noise as possible. In her ears, her heart drummed against her chest plate as both fear and adrenaline coursed through her body. The sounds were getting closer and though they were faint, it didn't rule out another person. The probability of it being human was slim to none and unlike some, Juniper wasn't going to shoot first and ask questions later. The thought that it could always be a loner, someone like her out there made her pause every time. Killing humans wasn't up her alley, but Walkers were a completely different story. Her father always said it was to kill or be killed and the quote always played over in her mind before she killed a Walker.

Her eyes darted up towards the sun, noting that dusk was slowly creeping upon her. There was no way she could stay there, not when she was a sitting duck and meal. The sounds could have been an animal, and if that was the case, the trip hadn't been a total failure. Either way; she couldn't stay much longer. But she didn't have to wait long before what she was waiting for came into her sight. It was a man and from what she could tell, he seemed coherent as could be. A compound bow was tucked in his hands and he appeared to be looking for something. From the squirrels he had on his shoulder, it looked as if food was on his mind. Scavenger appeared in her mind in big red letters and she didn't dare move from the spot she was glued to. June observed him; watching as he carefully mimicked her previous movements of watching where he stepped, looking around for any signs of life.

Hunting was always a race against time. Who could get there quicker; the Walkers or the humans? It didn't matter; the man just needed to go about his business, whatever it was, and leave the area so she could go on with her travels. The blood from her leg was starting to pool in the bottom of her boot as it ran down her leg, making her sock stick to her flesh. The feeling wasn't comforting in the least, but she wasn't about to move, not yet. The man moved around the bushes that Jay were in, paying them no heed. It wasn't until she took a step forward, in hopes of making her way quietly away from him, that he turned around and raised the compound bow. She was kicking herself mentally at that point, and had no other choice but to announce herself. Quickly, Juniper stood from the bushes and raised her bow, setting her sights on the middle of his forehead. It didn't stop the man from swiftly raising his own, looking at her down the middle of it and most likely aiming for her own forehead as well.

"Have you been bitten?" Juniper asked, arms as steady as could be and voice not faltering. She had no intentions of shooting him, unless he did first or was infected.

"Girl, are you crazy or somethin'? You can't just jump out of bushes demanding things from people," He replied, feet planted on the ground with steady legs and arms.

"I asked you a question. Have you been bitten? Simple yes or no. I'm not asking you to be my therapist and question if I'm crazy or not. I just need to know if I should go ahead and plant this between your eyes or wait," There was attitude in her tone, but no anger. All she wanted to do was get back home. Safely.

He scoffed and shook his head slowly, not moving it enough to take his aim off her, "No, I haven't. What about you?"

Juniper's eyebrow arched and she snorted softly, "Obviously not if I'm asking you that question. What are you doing out here?" The slight twang in his voice proved that he wasn't from around Tennessee, but hell, she wasn't either.

"That's my own damn business and none of yours,"

"When someone I don't know comes into my hunting grounds, I tend to make it my business," The land they were on wasn't hers, but that didn't mean shit. Not anymore.

"Your huntin' grounds? Girl, you are crazy. Fucked up in the head if you think I'm gonna turn around and go back, tuck tail and run like some pussy,"

She took a deep breath in and pursed her lips. How could she deny another human the right to hunt for food, to eat and survive? She couldn't.

"Look, I don't plan on shooting you, but I'd like to think you don't plan on it either. How about we both lower the weapons and save our ammunition for another day?" She was trying to offer some kind of peace treaty, or at least the best she could. If he agreed, there was always the chance he was lying and would shoot her anyways. But it was a chance she would take.

It took him a couple of minutes to comply, but he slowly lowered the compound bow and Juniper did the same. She placed the quiver back in it's pouch and slung the bow over her shoulder. There was no trust in the man and her hand automatically rested against the side of her leg, fingers pressed against the throwing knives.

"You live out here or somethin'?" He asked, adjusting the string of squirrels slung over his shoulder.

Juniper's shoulder raised in a lazy shrug, "Or something," She paused and adjusted her stance, resting most of her weight against her uninjured leg, "I haven't seen you out here before. For my own safety and peace of mind, I just want to know if you're alone,"

His head tilted and his hand raised, pointing his finger at her like he was about to hammer into her with words. Her own hand raised in a stopping motion, shaking her head.

"I'm not asking how many there are of you or even where you're at. I just want to know so I don't shoot anyone on accident. I'm sure you don't want the blood of your friends to be spilled,"

The man didn't get a chance to reply before someone else came walking up. From the weight of the steps, she could tell it was another man and had to fight back her instincts of throwing a knife at him. Shadows masked his face, but the shiny silver of the barrel of a gun seemed to shimmer.

"Daryl, we need some more fi-," He stopped and looked at Juniper, hand raising to rest against the butt of his gun, "Who are you?" He questioned, authority lining his tone.

"Juniper. I don't mean any harm. I'm just trying to get back to where I'm set up at," She explained, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear that had managed to slip from her ponytail.

"I see. Well, I'm Rick and this is Daryl. Where are you heading?"

"About five miles up north is where my horse is hitched,"

"We found a horse close by our camp. Wondered who's it was. Plus, it's a long ways to walk at night by yourself,"

Juniper made a face and rolled her eyes. Thunder, her horse, had somehow managed to undo the knot she tied to the tree. Probably from pulling on it too much and it slipped loose.

She chuckled quietly and shook her head, "Nothing I haven't done before, but I'd like to get my horse," In fact, she couldn't count how many times she traveled along the woods at night. Sometimes she got lucky and didn't run into anyone or anything. Other times it seemed fate wanted to slap her in the face.

The two men exchanged looks and it made the woman wonder if they were having a silent conversation. The man with the compound bow, Daryl, let out a groan and turned on his heels, throwing his hand up in the air, muttered a quiet 'whatever man' and went back the way Rick came. The lone man shook his head and looked at Juniper, doing his best to give her a smile.

"Come on. We'll take you back to camp and you can get your horse. If you wanna stay, I'm sure we could figure out something for you," He nodded his head in the direction Daryl went, indicating she was to follow.

"I... I don't want to intrude. Really. I'll just get my horse and go on," Kathleen would be worried about her if she didn't return that night and she would do her best to keep the ten year old from worrying as best she could.

He nodded his head, "Alright, if that's what you want. The kids have been petting your horse like crazy. I think they'll be sad to see him go,"

"Oh lovely. Spoiling the stupid mare," June laughed, carefully stepping out of the bushes to keep from falling over, "Now I'll never hear the end of it from him,"

The started down the path back to his camp and he chuckled, "They don't get a chance to see animals like that anymore," he explained, probably doing what he could to keep an awkward silence from falling over the two.

"Thunder's a pretty good horse. Stupid at times because he won't listen, but a loyal horse," Though Juniper called him stupid, he was actually extremely smart. At times it made her wonder if he could real understand his owner.

They continued on their way, making small conversation as they went. Nothing too personal was exchanged and it didn't offend her in the least bit. It was hard to tell who you could trust and who you couldn't. Jay knew that Rick was sticking his neck out for her, bringing her back to where they were set up. She assumed they were movers; people who didn't stay in one place too long unless they knew for a fact they were safe. It was a smart choice, really and if June didn't have it practically made where she was at, it would be something she did herself. Not to mention there were children who were tagging along. Family to some of those who were with him or strays they came across in their travels didn't matter. Everyone had to toughen up in the new world, but sometimes the brunette woman found herself being soft when it came to children. They were far too innocent to see the things that they had to see and even Kathleen had seen too much. She would do whatever it took to keep children from continuing to experience the horror of Walkers.

Time seemed to pass quickly and the were at the camp before she knew it. There was only a handful of people from what she could see and two kids. Thunder was hitched by a motor home and the two kids were laughing when he would gently bump his snout against their cheeks and head, hands petting the strong jaw muscles. Their laughter melted something within Juniper and it was at that point she knew... she realized that she would offer the chance to live in within the strong walls of the compound to this group of strangers.


End file.
